UC San Diego astrophysicist Brian Keating presents cosmological observations that have revealed a mysterious universe, pointing to the startling possibility that our cosmos might be just the most insignificant speck of what is now called "the Multiverse." New telescopes such as the BICEP based in Antarctica hint at an infinite universe with the possibility of unimaginable fecundity, yet devoid of life other than here on Earth. Keating explores what this implies about free will in an infinite universe, with infinite degrees of freedom and choices.

In his new book, Anatomy of Malice: The Enigma of the Nazi War Criminals, author Joel Dimsdale draws on decades of experience as a psychiatrist and the dramatic advances within psychiatry, psychology and neuroscience since the Nuremberg Trials to take a fresh look at four Nazi war criminals: Robert Ley, Hermann Goring, Julius Streicher and Rudolf Hess. Dimsdale, an emeritus professor of psychiatry at UC San Diego, is presented by the UC San Diego Library.

David Murphy is Executive Director of the International Rescue Committee (IRC) San Diego office. In this lecture Murphy shares his insights into the moral and logistical challenges posed by the current world-wide refugee crisis, based on his extensive experience working with the IRC in Africa and Afghanistan. Recorded on 04/18/2017.

Yusef Komunyakaa, an internationally renowned poet who won the Pulitzer Prize for "Neon Vernacular: New and Selected Poems," reads and discusses his work while writer-in-residence at UC Santa Barbara. Recorded on 03/01/2017.

Why just read about ancient Rome when you can walk the cobbled streets as if you were really there? That's the promise of virtual reality, augmented reality and mixed reality in today's classrooms. While the idea of strapping on goggles to virtually visit the Colosseum or go inside a molecule sounds like the stuff of science fiction, the technology to do just that is becoming more popular and available every day. Yes, there are plenty of obstacles from cost to teacher training but using virtual reality as an educational tool offers considerable benefits. Not only can it boost visual and technology literacy, but it also improves students' attention and engagement. Learn how this technology has the possibility to transform K-12 education from educators and engineers gathered by UC San Diego. Recorded on 09/13/2017.

His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1989, becoming the first Nobel laureate to be recognized for his concern for global environmental problems. This keynote address from the UC San Diego's 2017 commencement ceremony centers on the power of compassion and finding happiness in life. He urges the graduates to use their knowledge to better the world in peaceful ways. Recorded on 6/17/2017.

Celebrated author, literature champion, and bookstore owner Ann Patchett electrifies the audience as she describes her evolving relationships with various books, ranging from classics by Leo Tolstoy and John Updike to more contemporary works by Min Jin Lee ("Pachinko"), Matthew Desmond ("Evicted") and Ta-Nehisi Coates ("Between the World and Me"), among others. Patchett reads both for pleasure and for business, as the co-owner and buyer for Parnassus Books in Nashville. Why would a best-selling author bother with opening a book store in 2011, when all of the others in her hometown had closed? Because, she says, she couldn't bear to live in a city without one so she and a partner opened their own! And, as she tells here, Parnassus Books has been a huge success. Patchett is the featured speaker of the 2017 Dinner in the Library event at UC San Diego. Recorded on 09/08/2017.

In describing his new book, "East West Street" author Philippe Sands looks at the personal and intellectual evolution of the two men who simultaneously originated the ideas of "genocide" and "crimes against humanity," both of whom, not knowing the other, studied at the same university in a now-obscure city that had once been known as "the little Paris of Ukraine," a city variously called Lemberg, Lwów, Lvov, or Lviv. It is also a spellbinding family memoir, as Sands traces the mysterious story of his grandfather, as he maneuvered through Europe in the face of Nazi atrocities. Sands is presented by the Holocaust Living History Workshop and the Library at UC San Diego. Recorded on 02/28/2018.

The Last Gift study aims to understand where and how HIV hides in the human body when a person with HIV is taking HIV medications. The Last Gift study tackles these aims by studying people with HIV who are terminally ill from a disease other than HIV, like cancer, ALS, or heart disease. The study follows these volunteers with regular blood draws before the person dies and then examines multiple tissues throughout their bodies after death. From these samples, investigators hope to understand how HIV remains hidden from both the person's immune system and from current HIV therapy. Results from these studies are designed to help develop ways to clear these reservoirs with future therapies. Dr. Davey Smith, Professor of Medicine and Chief of Infectious Diseases and Global Public Health at UCSD discusses the study and its medical and ethical implications.

Conversations host Harry Kreisler welcomes Professor Arlie Hochschild for a discussion of her book "Strangers in Their Own Land: Anger and Mourning on the American Right." Hochschild discusses formative influences shaping her intellectual journey, describes her pioneering work on the sociology of emotions, and traces the evolution of her methodology. She then explains the decision to pursue her study of the American right in Louisiana beginning in 2011; how she undertook an empathetic engagement with citizens devastated by pollution but committed to the oil and gas industry; and how she developed a deep story to explain the emotions motivating her subjects to support right wing perspectives despite the devastation of the environment which they appreciated and loved. She also discusses their attraction to the Trump phenomena. She concludes with the lessons learned and their implications for mending the divide that is tearing the country apart.

Sonia Kennebeck, producer and director of "National Bird," talks with UCSB PhD candidate in the Department of Film and Media Studies Daniel Grinberg about her documentary on the US drone program told through the eyes of three military veterans and survivors. Kennebeck is an independent documentary filmmaker and investigative journalist with more than 15 years of directing and producing experience. Recorded on 11/14/2017.